1 Chronicles 11:23
in 1 Chronicles 11He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s beam in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.
KJV
And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 11
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
slew two lionlike men of Moab
on 1 Chronicles 11:22-25
Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, is the roll's third-ranked man: he kills two lion-like champions of Moab, a lion itself in a pit on a day of snow, and an Egyptian giant of five cubits whom he disarms and kills with the man's own spear. Verse 25 records the reward David gives him, command over his own guard, a position Benaiah still holds at David's death, 1 Ki 1:38, before he inherits Joab's post under Solomon. The Targum reads him as valiant and fearing sin, a righteous man of the second sanctuary, a tradition the bench notes without adopting.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
3 Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the L ORD ; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the L ORD by Samuel. 4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:94%@v3-4
), if they had not had the extraordinary presence of God with them, according to that promise, Josh. xxiii. 10 , One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God fighteth for you? One of these worthies is said to be an Ammonite (
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The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
he went down--the ordinary phraseology for expressing an engagement in battle. The encounter of Benaiah with this gigantic Egyptian reminds us, in some respects, of David's combat with Goliath. At least, the height of this giant, which was about eight feet, and his armor, resembled his of Gath. with a staff--that is, having no other weapon in his hand than his walking stick.
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Plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear - See the note on 2Sa 23:21.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Five cubits high - About 7 ft. 6 in. high. The height is not so great as that recorded of other giants.
The words behind it
24 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהֽוּא־ | vehu'- | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| הִכָּה֩ | hikah | he struck down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאִ֨ישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| הַמִּצְרִ֜י | hamitzri | <the> Egyptian | H4713 → | 70 times |
| אִ֥ישׁ | ʾish | a man of | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מִדָּ֣ה׀ | midah | stature | H4060 → | 55 times |
| חָמֵ֣שׁ | chamesh | five | H2568 → | 343 times |
| בָּאַמָּ֗ה | baamah | by the cubit | H520 → | |
| וּבְיַ֨ד | uveyad | and [was] in [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הַמִּצְרִ֤י | hamitzri | the Egyptian | H4713 → | 70 times |
| חֲנִית֙ | chanit | a spear | H2595 → | 47 times |
| כִּמְנ֣וֹר | kimnor | like a beam of | H4500 → | |
| אֹרְגִ֔ים | ʾoregim | weavers | H707 → | |
| וַיֵּ֥רֶד | vaiyered | and he went down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אֵלָ֖יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| בַּשָּׁ֑בֶט | bashavet | with the club | H7626 → | 190 times |
| וַיִּגְזֹ֤ל | vaiyigzol | and he tore away | H1497 → | |
| אֶֽת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַחֲנִית֙ | hachanit | the spear | H2595 → | 47 times |
| מִיַּ֣ד | miyad | from [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הַמִּצְרִ֔י | hamitzri | the Egyptian | H4713 → | 70 times |
| וַיַּהַרְגֵ֖הוּ | vaiyahargehu | and he killed him | H2026 → | 167 times |
| בַּחֲנִיתֽוֹ׃ | bachanito | with own spear his | H2595 → | 47 times |
וְהֽוּא־and he
vehu'-H1931 →1879 times
הִכָּה֩he struck down
hikahH5221 →499 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָאִ֨ישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
הַמִּצְרִ֜י<the> Egyptian
hamitzriH4713 →70 times
אִ֥ישׁa man of
ʾishH376 →1663 times
מִדָּ֣ה׀stature
midahH4060 →55 times
חָמֵ֣שׁfive
chameshH2568 →343 times
בָּאַמָּ֗הby the cubit
baamahH520 →
וּבְיַ֨דand [was] in [the] hand of
uveyadH3027 →1618 times
הַמִּצְרִ֤יthe Egyptian
hamitzriH4713 →70 times
חֲנִית֙a spear
chanitH2595 →47 times
כִּמְנ֣וֹרlike a beam of
kimnorH4500 →
אֹרְגִ֔יםweavers
ʾoregimH707 →
וַיֵּ֥רֶדand he went down
vaiyeredH3381 →381 times
אֵלָ֖יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
בַּשָּׁ֑בֶטwith the club
bashavetH7626 →190 times
וַיִּגְזֹ֤לand he tore away
vaiyigzolH1497 →
אֶֽת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַחֲנִית֙the spear
hachanitH2595 →47 times
מִיַּ֣דfrom [the] hand of
miyadH3027 →1618 times
הַמִּצְרִ֔יthe Egyptian
hamitzriH4713 →70 times
וַיַּהַרְגֵ֖הוּand he killed him
vaiyahargehuH2026 →167 times
בַּחֲנִיתֽוֹ׃with own spear his
bachanitoH2595 →47 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Samuel 17:51David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him; and he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 21:9
The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Hebrews 11:34
quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.
- 2 Samuel 23:21
He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian…
- 1 Samuel 21:9
Through
1 Chronicles 20:5Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 21:19
Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Samuel 21:19
Through
1 Samuel 17:4Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,
it leads to
- Joshua 11:22
No Anakim were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod did any survive.
- Joshua 11:22
Through
Deuteronomy 3:11(For only Og king of Bashan had remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed of iron, nine cubits long and four cubits wide, is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)
it leads to
- Genesis 14:5
In the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer and the kings allied with him went out and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, the Emites in Shaveh-kiriathaim,
- 1 Samuel 17:4
Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 49:2
Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a heap of ruins, and its villages will be burned.…
- Genesis 14:5
About 1 Chronicles
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Keil, The Books of the Chronicles and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.